


Dirty Work

by Raaj



Category: Persona 5
Genre: Gen, November palace prep, basically: in this fic the PTs murder a cognition, they find it is significantly less fun when it has to be realistic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-16
Updated: 2018-09-16
Packaged: 2019-07-13 06:47:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,795
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16012499
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Raaj/pseuds/Raaj
Summary: After the plan for November 18th and the days beyond was carried out, Futaba was eager to share every last detail of how they'd pulled it off, as long as Joker wanted to listen.She never mentioned how they'd known for certain the cognition would die in a realistic manner, though.  Because honestly, she hadn't wanted to hear the details on that particular issue herself.





	Dirty Work

"Holy shit." Halfway between the courthouse-turned-casino and the police station, Ryuuji stopped so abruptly that Yusuke walked into his back. Elbows jostled as both boys rebalanced themselves, but the blond didn't even see his fellow Thief's scowl, already turning to Makoto with wide eyes. "Queen--the plan doesn't work. Holy _shit_. Ren's gonna die."

"Code names for everyone," Morgana reminded him testily. "What's wrong now?"

"Uh, the entire idea!" Ryuuji stomped a foot in Morgana's direction, looking down at him. "You keep going on about being the expert about the Metaverse, so why am I the one realizing this?!"

"Skull." Makoto said the code name in her firmest tone to get Ryuuji back on task. She'd overlook the small slip with names; almost everyone had some trouble with that lately, because if the plan failed, they wouldn't only lose Joker, their leader, they would lose their friend. She's nearly slipped herself. The mistakes have all been quiet, in private, so hopefully her sister's subconscious hadn't registered any of it. (It would be too optimistic to hope that the worry causing the slips might make Sae subconsciously more inclined toward sympathy for Ren when they crossed paths. Far too optimistic. And still, Makoto still wished that it might.) More importantly: "We'll figure out a solution, but we need to hear the problem first."

Ryuuji groaned, rubbing his mask. "I don't think we can fix this. 'Cause the whole plan is--Oracle does her hacking and gets the bastard in the Metaverse and out without him ever noticing a thing, right? And yeah, the station looks totally normal." He gave a nod in the building's direction. "That works great. But the minute the fake gets his brains blown out as _black goop_  and _disappears_ , we're effed."

It was lucky that Yusuke spoke then, because Makoto could taste cotton in her mouth. "The traitor will be shooting a cognition, not a shadow."

"Yeah, sure, but they're not that different when you beat them up," Ryuuji said. "This was before both of you joined, but Kamoshida had a cognitive version of Panther in his shitty castle."

"She's mentioned it. She described it as aggravatingly vapid, but nothing about it being a fighter." Makoto was fairly sure Ann had brought it up purely to vent because the portrayal had been so insulting; she had heard about it two months after Kamoshida had been dealt with, and the model had still gotten so worked up describing what was essentially a sex toy with her face that she'd broken the water bottle in her hand at the time.

"Yeah, I don't think it was but it, uh, didn't get much of a chance to fight anyway when Panther cleaved through it with a big-ass sword."

"She used a sword?" Yusuke looked intrigued by this. "Then why does she use a whip now?"

"'Cause she's practicing to be a dominatrix--and that's not the important part of this anyway! Guess how that cognition went out? POOF." The yellow glove not holding a rod mimicked something bursting open. "Black goop." He turned to Morgana, who was staring up at him with a blank expression. "What are you lookin' all surprised for? You really didn't think about this at all, huh?"

"But..." The smallest thief's voice was uncharacteristically quiet. "But when Okumura died, you could see the black coming out of his face..."

"Dude, that was the freakiest part of his death! That's half of why people think we did it! That's not normal!" Ryuuji rocked back on the heels of his boots, staring at Morgana. "Wait, did you seriously think that was normal? How?"

When the cat-like thief had no snappy answer for Ryuuji, Makoto shook her head. They had to focus; they _needed_  to close this gaping hole in the plan. Ren's life was riding on it. "You know he has amnesia, Skull."

"Yeah, but he's always going on with how much he knows about..." Ryuuji paused, and his mouth snapped shut. "The metaverse. Nah, you're right. Panther and I should've realized this was an issue sooner." He scuffed the back of his head. "Sorry. It's kind of wild when you actually show you have no memory, though. Most of the time you act like you know it all."

"Even without my memories, I'm hardly a novice," Morgana shot back, his eyes contracting back to a more normal size as he recovered from his surprise. Makoto was holding in a sigh, already wondering if she really needed to break up one of their arguments _now_ \--Yusuke seemed to have already lost patience and was pacing away--when Morgana gave a small nod. "But I'll admit this slipped past me. Hm... Fox is right. This will be a cognition, not a shadow, and that does make a difference. Shadows have the same basic nature across palaces, but a palace ruler decides how their cognitions behave. Sae Niijima already seems to have a much more realistic mindset than Kamoshida did. It's concerning, but this may not actually be a problem, Skull."

"That's a good point," Makoto said. "For better or worse, my sister knows what death looks like. She's dealt with a number of homicide cases."

"Yeah, I guess," Ryuuji said, "But like, I could shittalk Kamoshida's coaching all day, but he was still a gym teacher. Former Olympian. It's not like he wouldn't know how the human body works, he still didn't put blood in his stupid cognition." The former track runner gave a gusty sigh, leaning back and looking at the sky before looking back down at Makoto. In his dark brown eyes were the most serious look she had ever seen. "Now that I've thought of this, it's just going to drive me nuts. This is Joker's life on the line here. I'm sure your sis is way smarter than effin' Kamoshida. I'm not trying to say she's ignorant or anything. But, dude, Crow's killed people before. He's got experience too, in the act and not just dealing with it afterward. And if something comes off as fake to him, whether it's because she just didn't know or because it's not something she wants to think about--I mean, that's probably why Kamoshida's cognition just went poof. Dying's not sexy." He grimaced. "Queen, are you sure her cognition is gonna work for this?"

"I--Well--" Makoto cupped a hand over her mouth, partially so she wouldn't say anything she didn't mean, but also because the question shook her so greatly. Could she promise such a thing? Of course not. They couldn't place every last bet on a woman who saw the justice system as a casino full of games to rig in her favor. Even if she believed her sis could snap out of it, even if she had faith in Ren to help her sister refocus on what she'd lost sight of, there was still the fear of what might happen if she didn't change her mind in time. Now they were adding more uncertainty into the mix? She broke away from Ryuuji's earnestly questioning stare to look at Morgana for reassurance, but the blue-eyed feline seemed to waiting for her answer too. She looked to Yusuke.

And looked. And then stared. Yusuke had not merely paced away; he had retraced most of their path back to the casino and was in fact already halfway up the stairs that led to its side entrance. "Fox? Fox! What are you doing?"

Despite being younger than her, the tall, lanky teenager looked almost imperious when he leaned over the railing to address her. "Isn't it obvious?" Fox returned. "There is little point standing around and wondering when we can see for our own eyes. We have to test this." His hand lighting on the hilt of his katana made it obvious how he meant to conduct the experiment.

"Whoa, wait-- _testing_  this?" Ryuuji blurted.

"That makes sense," Morgana mused. "What else can we do?"

"We can talk after we've caught up," Makoto said, rushing up the stairs after Yusuke, who was already moving ahead again. The artist wasn't normally a hothead, but everyone was on edge in this Palace with the stakes higher than ever. And Yusuke was, as he was showing right now, an unconventional thinker. She could see the merit of his idea, but the fact that he had decided to act on it so quickly without discussing it made her regret letting him slip out of sight once already. "Oracle, come in on private!" she hissed.

_"The crow is in the dark,"_ Futaba announced cheerfully. _"Along with the rest of the advance team."_  While Futaba normally used her persona abilities to keep track of and coordinate the two half-teams, this particular palace had seen her mix up her settings a little to talk in private to the reserve team more often. It would have been nice to include the advance team in conversations too, but they had all quickly realized that they would only make Akechi suspicious if someone in front of him accidentally reacted to a conversation he couldn't hear. " _Hey, slow down, stupid Inari, you're going to get yourself separated from the others. What's up, Queen?"_

Makoto was surprised to see Yusuke actually stop, even if he was frowning as he turned to wait for her to catch up, likely annoyed with Futaba's persistent nickname for him. "Where are you and the others at the moment? Which floor?"

_"The High Limits floor."_

"Give us a warning if they start to leave it. We're going to be on the ground floor." There was no need to go to a higher floor to test Sae's cognition; there were plenty of patrons on the first floor. "...Skull realized a potential issue with the plan."

_"Really? Skull found a problem?"_

"Aw, shaddup, Oracle," Skull muttered from behind. "Just because the cognitive psycho babble ain't my thing..."

_"Hey, I'm impressed! Except for your butchering of cognitive psience. PSI-ENCE. So what's the problem?"_

"Cognitions don't always die in a way that matches reality. The plan will fail if the cognitive Joker's death looks less than convincing, so..." Makoto sighed. "Crow would definitely have questions if he caught us killing one of the casino patrons, simply to see what happens."

Judging by Yusuke's solemn expression, she hadn't misunderstood his intention at all. Futaba's silence made Makoto's stomach feel even heavier than it already did. She saw the merit in the idea, but...

"Not a _patron_ ," Yusuke said calmly. "A cognition. If it were a person, killing it would tell us nothing useful. It would also be murder."

"Yeah, it would definitely be murder," Ryuuji said, his tone edging to a higher pitch than normal. "Murder is absolutely not happening."

"Exactly as I said."

_"Okay,"_  Futaba cut back in, but then her broadcast faltered. _"...Okay! So you guys will carry out your mission on the ground floor. I'll contact you if Joker's group heads back to the elevator, but otherwise? Might be time for some radio silence. You're looking for readings that might--might make me glitch out, you know?"_

"Glitch out...?" Yusuke started to echo, stopping when Makoto held up a hand. "Never mind."

_"Good, because I don't feel like explaining that any further. I'm going to stop scanning your area for now. Think you scrubs can keep yourselves alive for a half-hour?"_

"They've got me with them," Morgana said confidently. "Not to mention we've already cleared this floor once already. We're all set."

_"All right. Come back with good news. Yeesh, this plan only seems to need more and more patches lately. Oracle out."_

There was a moment of silence after Oracle's sign-off. Ryuuji kicked the ground a few times before groaning. "I wish I'd never thought of this. Shit, it probably ain't even an issue."

"If you wish to sit this out, you can remain out here."

Yusuke's offer made Ryuuji scowl underneath his skull mask. "Hell no! We're gonna see this through for Joker. Queen, you cool with this?"

Was he deflecting his own anxiety, or was some of her unease showing through? Nevertheless, she didn't want to engage too long in conversation. They had a time frame to pull this off without potentially making Futaba witness it. "I plan to be a police commissioner. I need to be mentally prepared to see unpleasant things. And this will only be a cognition."

"Exactly," Morgana said. "So let's go already!"

"Of course you don't care. You weren't even worried with Kamoshida..."

"You agreed to it, remember. He was scum."

Makoto blinked at Ryuji and Morgana, feeling questions she'd never wanted to wonder bubbling up. She was fully appreciating for the first time that in light of Morgana's amnesia, Kamoshida had been a test of an unproven method. Had they actually thought he might die? And they had still gone through with it? The image of Kamoshida standing in front of the student assembly but seizing up like Okumura had, black oozing from rolling eyes and a slack mouth, flashed through her mind. If something like that had happened... Safe to say things would have turned out very differently in the formation of the Phantom Thieves.

"Feel free to keep conversing amongst yourselves. I'm going on ahead."

Yusuke's declaration snapped Makoto out of the gruesome image as she retorted, "Oh, no you aren't. We need a plan first. All the cognitions on the ground floor are in that lounge that has several shadows on security. We can take them easily one at a time, but if we kill one of the patrons in open sight, that might draw _all_  the shadows to us. That would be beyond reckless." She stared at Yusuke sternly. "If you already have a plan to isolate one, I would like to hear it."

Fox stared back at her, his eyes cloudy but hard, like ice made from impure water. Then they closed, and he sighed. "My apologies. You're right. I had figured one could be lured outside, but a more definitive plan would be wise."

"Right, it's safe to say we'd have to lure the cognition away. The question is how." Makoto pursed her lips. "There are so many people in that lounge, after all. We don't want to cause a scene."

"Hm... actually, wouldn't one of Niijima's cognitions be more interested in the _back_?" Morgana wondered aloud.

"But we don't want more staff breathin' down our necks," Ryuuji protested.

Morgana waved a dismissive paw. "There's plenty of rooms in those back hallways that the staff weren't interested in. And I'm sure given the distortion of the casino, most of these guests would be hooked by an offer to rig the system in their favor for some easy wins. They wouldn't say it in public, but they likely share the casino manager's desire for victory at all costs." His blue eyes widened when Makoto sighed, and he looked to her with a worried frown. "Uh. No offense, Queen."

"None taken," she said quietly. "You're only stating facts." If it reflected poorly on her sister, that was due to the prosecutor's current way of thinking. "So...offer them a way to cheat through the backrooms, without being too direct about it, since they might demure in public for appearances."

"That sounds about right. Then, we lead them to the backroom, and it'll be time for an all-out attack!"

"I would rather we not go overboard," Yusuke said. "These cognitions aren't fighters. A precise strike might suit better for making observations about their realism."

"I...guess? How much detail are you looking for?" Ryuuji shrugged. "Mona wouldn't know a thing unless Sae's cognition is _way_  wrong. I've...seen action movies? And I already know those aren't exactly the most accurate."

"I've watched some movies like that myself," Makoto said, though she held herself back from giving more detail. This was hardly the time to gush over yakuza movies. "But I've also begun studying criminology and forensics."

"You would likely be our expert," Yusuke acknowledged. "I did study a number of references when I was fascinated by the subject of death, but it's been some years."

Makoto stared at him. So did Ryuuji, who asked after a moment, "...Was your death phase also your chuunibiyou phase or somethin'?"

"Hardly. I was about 10 at the time."

"Why were you fascinated by death as a 10-year-old?!"

"I don't see why it would have made more sense at age 13 or 14. But," Yusuke said, his eyes widening behind his fox mask before his lips quirked up in a pleased smile, "I've just realized, Ryuuji. Your loud mouth will make drawing in a cognition quite easy."

"Hey--" Ryuuji broke off with a huff, rolling his eyes as Yusuke chuckled. "You got a plan, then?"

The plan turned out to be a fairly simple one. Makoto and Ryuuji went into the lounge together; walking along the perimeter to stay out of the security's notice, they found a secluded spot to start their act. While Makoto spoke quietly, to give the impression of secrecy, Ryuuji's part was to speak at his normal volume, giving away his half of the conversation for any passers-by who were interested in the sordid business of two entertainers who'd found a weak spot in the casino's security. Makoto was relieved to see that Ryuuji had more acting capability than Ann. It wasn't like either of their roles were too complicated, but he played the overeager and greedy performer well, considering that all the enthusiasm had to be faked. And every time she hissed at him to be more quiet, he'd comply for a few seconds, then go back to full volume--just as discussed. Once she caught a man--a  _cognition_ \--looking over at them with a calculating eye, she grabbed Ryuuji by his ascot and told him to forget it, she was ending their partnership before he got them both caught with his antics. Then she stormed off.

They'd figured at least one of them would be approached: Makoto for seeming more professional, or Ryuuji for seeming easy to get information from. It didn't really matter which one of them was approached, as long as they successfully baited a cognition. Still, Makoto was mildly pleased that the man approached her. They had a short time limit, and she wanted to make sure this went smoothly. The cognition was fairly tall, dark-haired, with a freckle on his cheek, an interesting detail that made her think he was based on someone her sister knew in person. ...She pushed that thought away. Any one of these cognitions could easily be based on a real person, and they could just as easily have sprang from Sae Niijima's imagination, simply a perception of the average lawyer. It wasn't as though having freckles was so unusual. The man made casual note-- _"Couldn't help overhearing that guy, with how loud he is--must cause you a lot of trouble"_ \--and Makoto muffled a small laugh before putting on a show of faux innocence with wide eyes. Oh no, she wasn't doing anything suspicious. She demurred only once, though: when the man insisted he wouldn't rat her out but wanted in on the action, she paused only a few seconds before caving. It was a somewhat transparent routine, mostly because they really were on a time limit. The cognition showed not a single hint of suspicion as he followed her toward the back.

Makoto glanced back surreptitiously to make sure Ryuuji was following as well, though at a greater distance, before she let herself mull on the cognition's reactions. Sae's cognitions were human in motive and action: they certainly understood greed. Subtlety seemed to be something only her sister's shadow had, though. Was that a problem for the plan? ...Not if Akechi simply walked in and shot the cognition without preamble. If Akechi was the black mask causing psychotic breakdowns and mental shutdowns, he was a professional by experience. He wouldn't waste time, especially when he was committing an assassination inside a police station.

He'd better not waste time. If he decided to toy with Ren and talk first, he'd discover the deception. Sae had no reason or way to create a cognition of Ren that could pass the test of a conversation with Goro Akechi. But it shouldn't be a problem, since Akechi shouldn't be stopping to chat in the middle of an assassination. Ugh... Makoto felt like she would have a permanent headache after this from all the worry. Futaba was right: there were too many potential problems. _And this was the plan that worked._ If Ren persuaded her sister to show Akechi the phone. If Akechi behaved logically, and didn't indulge in petty gloating over a helpless victim.

If Sae's cognitions died realistically.

...The moment of truth would be soon. Yusuke had excellent spatial memory and had told Makoto exactly how to get to the room he and Morgana had hidden themselves away in; Makoto recognized it from the directions. There was nothing special about the room, but there didn't need to be. It was bland and tucked away from the roaming security and the cognition wouldn't live long enough to be very angry that she'd lied about there being a special machine for the player's cards inside.

Upon reaching the door, she gripped the handle and took a steadying breath. She turned back to the cognition with a forced, tiny smile, noting Ryuuji's bleach blond hair peaking out from around last corner they'd passed. "After you, sir," she said, opening the door. As he walked past her, she let one hand fall to her revolver.

It happened very quickly--Morgana popping up from underneath the table in the room to train his slingshot on the man, Yusuke sidestepping from behind the door to press the muzzle of his assault rifle against one temple, Ryuuji's footsteps pounding as he raced to join them, just in case something went wrong--

And perhaps something had gone wrong, because after that flurry of movement, time halted. Neither Morgana nor Yusuke fired immediately. Instead, Yusuke said, low and calm: "Don't move, please."

"Wh-what? What are you--"

The cognition tried to jerk away from the rifle, but Yusuke merely followed the movement, pressing the muzzle hard enough to draw a pained exclamation. "Refrain from moving," Yusuke instructed the man again--no, the cognition, except when the cognition was human-shaped and beginning to shake with fear, the rough handling that would have been routine in a negotiation seemed outright monstrous and what were Yusuke and Morgana _doing_ \--they didn't need to toy with it--

Makoto grabbed her own revolver, but just as she was raising it, Morgana said, "Looks like he understands the situation," and Yusuke murmured agreement and squeezed his trigger finger.

The good news was that Sae's cognitions produced blood. They produced a lot of blood. And they also produced brain matter when you shot them through the skull.

"Oh, fuck," Ryuuji swore. "Okay, I can tell you right now, that's _too_  realistic for me. Shit. Queen?"

He was probably expecting a comment on the realism of the man's passing, or maybe of the blood spatter produced from the exit wound, but Makoto's eyes kept going back to the man's face, frozen in terror. Instead of clinical analysis, what she found coming out of her mouth was a question: "What was that?" She averted her eyes to glare at Yusuke. "Why didn't you shoot him immediately?"

"We needed to see if the cognitions have a fear response," Yusuke explained. "Akechi is planning to kill two cognitions. Whichever is second will have time to register they will die."

"The cognitions weren't reacting when we fought with security," Morgana elaborated. "While we'd already guessed it was because of their self-centeredness, it was better to be sure. It...probably would have been better if we'd thought about this before you guys left." The feline thief's tail flicked nervously around his feet as he tacked that on.

"It would have been appreciated," Makoto said drily, but she felt somewhat ashamed she hadn't thought of that angle herself. There were just so many different factors. She took a step back, forcing herself to examine the body in the way she would future crime scenes. She took a moment, looking at the blood spatter, some of it already beginning to dry and darken; the way the body had crumpled on the spot; the expression on the cognition's face. She quickly moved away from the face, back to the blood spatter. "...I don't see any issues."

Yusuke crouched to look at the body himself, murmuring agreement after a moment. "Okay, we're done with this, so let's head out!" Morgana ordered. His tail was lashing at the floor now.

He was agitated, and it was noticeable to all three other thieves in the room. "Hell yeah, no argument here," Ryuuji said, hooking yellow-gloved thumbs through his hanging belts. "You all right though? This ain't messin' with you, is it?"

" _No_ ," Morgana said hotly, though he looked unsure of himself. "It's just--I didn't realize before, that if something goes wrong...this is how Joker would l--" Morgana yowled as Ryuuji scruffed him, yanking him off the table and getting him halfway out the room before Makoto or Yusuke could react. "HEY!"

"Yell at me later, but we're leaving the bad thoughts behind right fuckin' now!"

Makoto took a deep breath. "I wish I could think of a better plan," she said in a quiet but fervent mutter. At least the concern Ryuuji had thought of wouldn't be an issue, but she was sure there were still others they hadn't addressed yet.

"It's a brilliant plan, Queen," Yusuke said, rising to his feet. "We have been driven into a corner, but we shall see ourselves through. Only a few more days."

Makoto had to smile at how composed the younger boy sounded; she'd heard only the smallest waver. She picked up her chin as they left the room to follow Ryuuji and Morgana to the nearby safe room. She needed to put a strong face forward, for everyone, but most especially for Ren. Only a few more days, but they would find and iron out every kink in the plan.

At least, the ones they could control. They couldn't do anything about the fact that rooms in Palaces tended to reset after a time, which was convenient today for taking care of the corpse they'd left, but might prove disastrous if Akechi did any amount of backtracking after killing the cognitive Ren. Makoto tried not to think about that too much. The black mask was a professional who wouldn't need to return to the scene.

Futaba contacted them about ten minutes later, and the girl sounded so relieved when they told her it had been a false alarm and the plan still worked that Ryuuji sank his face into his hands. "I wish I hadn't brought it up. Wasn't even a problem."

"We had to assume it was a problem," Makoto assured him. "If you think of anything else, I do want you to mention it. Just make sure you say it to me and not Joker." Ren already knew the plan, and considering he was the one who had to keep calm during an interrogation with his life on the line, Ren did not need to be told every single time they thought of a _potential_  problem. He was under enough stress already. When they reunited with the other members, they fed Akechi a line about grinding against the lower level enemies as an excuse for where they'd been, and the others already knew that they had actually been working out the plan to trick the traitor, so there was no need to mention _exactly_  what they had been doing today.

In a few more days...once this was behind them... it might be nice to talk to Ren about all the work that went into planning for his capture and escape, even if Futaba would probably be the first to explain the technical details. Not because Makoto felt particularly proud of this plan--she really was beginning to hate it, but it was the _only plan that worked_ \--but to ...reassure him, she supposed, that his safety had been the first thing on everyone's minds since the plan's inception. Though Ren being captured alone made sense logically, she knew it would be a toll emotionally. She wanted him to know he had always been a priority, so she'd talk to him about all the double- and triple-checking they'd done when it could be a reassurance instead of a distraction.

She probably still wouldn't tell him about this particular day, though.  She wanted to forget it already.

**Author's Note:**

> I wish I had a better explanation for this fic, but it really was just "but if Cognitive Ren had died like Cognitive Ann did, they would have all been screwed so quickly". I've heard the black ooze referred to as a discreet substitute for blood, but considering they do actually show blood, I'm not sure...? And basically I thought about it enough that I wanted to write it with the PTs having different reactions to participating in something they know isn't actually "real", but feels like it is.


End file.
